Four Patta men sentenced to nine years in jail for Trafficking in Children

Weno, Chuuk—On August 8, FSM Supreme Court Chief Justice Dennis Yamase sentenced four men for the crime of Trafficking Children. The men faced the possibility of a total of 30 years and/ or a fine of not less than $5,000 and not more than $50,000. While the sentence was slightly more than half of what they could have received it is still the strongest sentence the FSM has handed down for the crime.

He sentenced Onsori Sino, Kachura Angken, Taisiro Loves, and Lucky Shiro to serve 15 years in the Chuuk State Jail. He suspended all but nine of the years. He also required each of the men to pay $1000 in restitution to the victim at the rate of $50 per month beginning on October 1, 2018. The amount is payable to the State Justice Ombudsman no later than the first day of each month until the amount of restitution is satisfied.

The court advised each of the men their right to appeal the sentence and also of the right of a person who is unable to pay the cost of an appeal to apply for leave to appeal “in forma pauperis”.

The men had been convicted of Trafficking in Children after prosecutors proved that each of them had sex in Patta, Chuuk with a young girl of 14 or 15 at the time.

Prosecutors proved to the court that the young victim’s claim that in September of 2015 Sino had sex with her in exchange for marijuana were true. The criminal information on the case said that on that day, the victim had been sent by her mother to buy disposable diapers. Sino followed the victim and urged the victim to allow Sino’s daughter to buy the diapers for her so that she could go to his house with him. After the act, witnesses saw the two leaving Sino’s house

.

Kachura Angken was convicted based on evidence presented by the prosecutors along with the victim’s testimony that in October 2015 he solicited a minor to have sex with him in his taro patch for the sum of $15.

Tasiro Loves was convicted on testimony of the victim, other evidence placed before the Court, and arguments of counsel. In 2015, Loves lured the victim to a home belonging to another person on Patta and induced the minor to have sexual intercourse with him for $2.00.

Lucky Shiro was convicted of having had sex with the victim for a promised sum of two dollars that he apparently didn’t have the cash to pay after the act was completed.

Yamase ordered the men to report to the Chuuk State Jail to begin serving their sentences by noon on August 16, 2018.